Suddenly, India’s State Governors Get Some Attention

India’s state governors are largely figureheads. Chief ministers get most of the power, so usually nobody pays much attention to that other state-level dignitary.

Except for right now, that is.

India’s new central government — led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi — is asking several state governors to step down so it can pick new ones, according to reports in Indian media this week. State governors are appointed by the federal government to five-year terms.

A Home Ministry official, Kuldeep Dhatwalia, said Thursday it would be “inappropriate” to comment on whether Mr. Modi’s government was seeking the resignation of any governors.

So far this week, several governors have resigned — and at least one has declined to resign.

It’s adding up to a minor constitutional tempest. A spokesman for the Congress party, which was defeated by Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in national elections this year, said that asking governors to quit was “dictatorial.”

The Congress spokesman, P.C. Chacko, said that seeking resignations is “not in compliance” with a 2010 Supreme Court order stating that a change in federal government isn’t a valid reason to remove state governors. The governors should be “beyond party politics,” Mr. Chacko said.

However, it’s not the first time this has happened. In 2004, when the Congress party came to power, it replaced some state governors. Mr. Chacko didn’t comment on Congress’s 2004 actions. There’s a precedent for it going back to the late 1970s when the Janata Party (unrelated to the BJP) replaced some state governors appointed by the previous government.

Seeking governors’ resignations is “the prerogative of the government, as has been in the past,” BJP spokeswoman Shaina N.C. told the NDTV news channel Thursday.

The office of governor has largely ceremonial duties such as opening assembly sessions and rubber-stamping the appointment of various state-level ministers. One important power: Governors can review criminal punishments and grant pardons.

This week, the governor of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, B.L. Joshi, has stepped down, followed by Shekhar Dutt, governor of the central state of Chhattisgarh, according to statements released by the office of the President of India.

Spokesmen for both the governors declined to comment on whether they were asked to resign.

One governor, Sheila Dikshit in Kerala, has declined to quit. Her secretary, A. Ajith Kumar, wouldn’t comment on whether Mrs. Dikshit was asked to resign. “As of now, she is the governor of Kerala,” he said.

The Indian media is speculating that perhaps a half-dozen other governors might be asked to give up their jobs.

Political analysts argue the tussle over the posts is largely political theater. Or perhaps, musical chairs. “There seems to be no real reason to explain their ouster,” said Sanjay Kumar, fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in New Delhi, except perhaps to open up some jobs for “a handful of veterans who could not make it to the new government’s ministerial berths.”

Ujjwal Kumar Singh, who heads the political-science department at Delhi University, said a state governor “can do little to influence the decision-making, and normally serves a quiet term in his office.” He said governors should be allowed to complete their terms and not be removed in an “unfitting” manner.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.